Hartford Man Charged In 'Publishers Clearing House' Scam

A 27-year-old city man accused of scamming elderly victims out of more than $100,000 in a fraudulent lottery scheme has surrendered to police.

Jason Smith, of 225 Newbury St., was arraigned at Superior Court in Hartford Tuesday. He faces a host of racketeering and larceny charges.

Smith told victims they won "Publishers Clearing House" sweepstakes or another lottery, according to an arrest warrant. The victims sent him money as a pre-payment to cover fees or taxes.

He allegedly kept a portion of the money and sent the rest to another suspect. He is also accused of recruiting suspects to assist in the operation. He is charged with two counts of racketeering, three counts of first-degree larceny, seven counts of second-degree larceny, first-degree attempted larceny, and first-degree conspiracy to commit larceny.

The case, prosecuted by the financial crimes bureau of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney, was investigated by Hartford Police after they received a tip from detectives in Altamonte Springs, Fla. in regards to a local victim.

"Let the results of this investigation be a message to Internet fraud predators that they will be caught and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Chief James C. Rovella.